Running a beta pilot to successfully launch a (hardware) product

In this Insights Unlocked episode, Anne Wilbers, a Senior Design Researcher at Canopy, shares her experiences UX testing the new Canopy Pickup Cam system ranging from the installation guides, hardware, app, website landing pages and more.

The Canopy Pickup Cam is a smart security camera that works for most trucks. Theft from trucks and other vehicles is a big deal. In fact, $7.4 billion was lost to auto theft and property stolen from vehicles in 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The company was spun out of Ford, where the initial research that went into the product was developed.

In the episode, Anne shares her experiences over the past year getting the UX research program started, planning an internal alpha pilot and then a beta pilot with Detroit-area truck owners—a continent away from her offices in London.

She includes her lessons learned, such as the benefits of having an alpha test. And be ready to plan more than you’d originally would expect, she said. For example, they rehearsed before the beta pilot launch, where they were able to address such details such as where would participants park their trucks, who would greet them, and was wifi available?